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Oregon Native American mascot fight may be headed to court

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Gov. John Kitzhaber said he hopes the rules the Oregon Board of Education will write allowing the use of Native American mascots at public schools address the concerns of critics. But one mascot opponent says he's willing to take the fight to court.
(Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian )

The fight over Native American mascots in Oregon could be settled in a courtroom.

One of the key backers of a 2012 ban on Native American mascots in public schools said Monday that he’s planning to file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education contesting their continued use.

Oregon lawmakers passed a bill last month that would allow some mascots to remain despite a broad ban adopted by the state board of education.

Sam Sachs, who worked hard to see the board ban mascots, said he’s working on crafting a civil rights complaint challenging the legality of Native American mascots.

“My question at this point is what do they have that they can file a complaint against?” Kruse asked. “The fact that we passed a bill to start a process?”

Gov. John Kitzhaber vetoed a bill lawmakers passed last year allowing schools to keep mascots if they reached an agreement with a nearby tribe.

That bill created too broad an exemption to the ban, Kitzhaber said at the time.

Kitzhaber signed SB 1509 March 6, but in a signing statement he hoped that as the Board of Education develops rules that guide the use of mascots, opponents are given a voice in the process.

“Given that everyone impacted may not be party to the agreement process outlined,” Kitzhaber wrote, “I want to encourage all parties who may be involved in the agreement process to consider the community impact of the use of these mascots and to develop agreements which promote inclusive and culturally appropriate practices.”